Ice King
by Platinum-Daylight
Summary: "You think you can melt my heart, Katie?" Ice states in a tone made of steel, "Then break the Ice!" he summons Regice, Suicune, and Articuno. I was cornered, and surrounded. Talking things out were no longer an option. My eyes widened at the horror. I had no idea he was capable of this much power. Ice x Kate. A 12,000 word one-shot of icecastleshipping.


It has been nearly six months since Operation Brighton. I captured that Darkrai, saved Almia from being consumed from darkness, and became a hero. But I had so many questions about that mission. Particularly ones about the Sinis Trio. I often wondered what had became of them. I'm sure Lavana hopped her bitch-ass on a plane to another region after she fled like a coward after losing to me- again. Heath probably bought himself a one-way train ticket as far way from Almia- or Team Dim Sun for that matter, as far as possible. Then there was Ice. He was the most mysterious out of the three of them. I mean, the guy claimed to be a pacifist, yet he worked for Team Dim Sun. He was either a hypocrite, or obviously had no idea what he was doing at the time. Or, maybe he was just lied to. Just like the rest of everyone in Team Dim Sun. Blake probably spit out some bullshit about how their organization was for the peace of all people and pokemon. Either way, I couldn't remember a time where Ice acted like a pacifist. Not even once.

I let the newspaper relax on my hands. It was an Almia Times article. Whoever the hell wrote these were running out of ideas fast. After the whole Operation Brighton mess, there wasn't much news to write about. I mean, there wasn't any news. No conspiracies, no scandals, no crime syndicates, no anything. Almia was at peace. It may be pleasant, but it wasn't newsworthy. They recently came out with an article that was all about, and dedicated to Ice. That article was sitting in my hands as I read up each and every word of this. The article questioned the whereabouts of the Sinis Trio, but mainly Ice. My assumptions on what happened to Lavana and Heath were right. According to this article, Heath was apparently doing good and everything opposite of the old Team Dim Sun in the Kanto region. While Lavana got herself a modeling career in Sinnoh, she was currently modeling in Top Coordinator, Sinnoh Champion and Fashion Designer Dawn's clothing line. I felt pretty bad for that Dawn chick though, having to deal with her PMS meltdowns.

I read on the section that concerned Ice, which states the obvious. No one had any idea where he was. That is if anyone bothered to look, his whereabouts were unknown because no one ever even searched for him. So I just figured no one really did care. He was a part of Team Dim Sun. But he was also human. Honestly, I cared about him a lot. It's hard to believe. But why the hell would I show that I did? We were enemies. Why I cared about him is even beyond me. It just happened. Maybe it was somewhere between the 'I'm a pacifist who cares about humanity' and the constant, "Hey there, Kate-noob." I began to look forward to going on missions that had to do with Team Dim Sun, in hopes that I'd have more chances to see him. The first time we met, I had no idea he was a Dim Sun. He was different from the rest of them. I mean, he was _cute_. But I'd never admit that to anyone, though. The only thing I would ever admit was that he was a cocky little prick who underestimated my mad skills and didn't know what he was walking into when he met me.

I put the Almia Times article on the nightstand next to the bed I laid on and turned off the light. I slided my body down, resting my head on the pillow. I let out a sigh. Looks like I'm going to have trouble sleeping tonight. My roommate on the other side of the room, Rhythmi was knocked out cold. I was almost jealous of how soundly she was sleeping right now. I needed that rest for the next day. Then again, I probably wasn't doing anything that important. All I ever did now and days was patrol. I did do a quest every now and then, but it wasn't the same as the good old days where I'd be kicking ass and showing up in the Almia Times. But you never know, maybe if I woke up tomorrow morning, Professor Hastings would be going on about something important and send me on a mission. The chances of that happening were slim to none, but it could happen. I turned my body to the side and attempted to get a good night's rest. If the possibilities of me waking up to a mission could be real, then I needed to actually try to get some sleep. Light's out for me.

The last thing I thought of before I went into deep slumber was Ice.

* * *

I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. A female voice who I didn't know belonged to at the moment because I was enjoying my sleep kept going, "Kate, Kate, Kate. Kate!" I quickly shrug off the hand and sit upright. I stretched out my arms and let out a yawn. My head turns to the person who woke me; it was Rhythmi. I rolled my eyes, annoyed at her.

"Rise and shine, girl!" Rhythmi chirped cheerfully, "Did you sleep well?"

"No." I grumbled, "but I bet you did."

Rhythmi giggled at this, "Of course you didn't. You spent all night reminiscing about your crush."

I raised my eyebrows at her, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know, sweetie. You don't have to hide it anymore." Rhythmi said, "You've got it bad."

I shook my head at her, "I think you've lost it."

Rhythmi heads to my nightstand and picked up the newest edition of Almia Times. It hung from her fingers, swinging left and right. She practically dangled the thing in front of my face. I just shrugged at her like I didn't know what she was even talking about.

"So?"

"You're in love with Ice." Rhythmi states softly.

"Rhythmi, are you on crack?" I asked rudely.

"Since the day you've met him," she began, "every mission you've done is always about Ice."

"Rhythmi, you need to-"

"Kate! It's as obvious to you as it is to me. You don't have to deny it."

I let out a sigh. She got me. She's right. I didn't want to admit it but I had to.

"Denying it is the easiest thing for me to do." I said softly.

And that was true. If anyone else found out and took my feelings seriously, I'd be in deep trouble. Top Ranger falling for the Dim Sun's head honcho? I would have been banned from Operation Brighton. Rhythmi should be grateful that I put the Ranger Union before myself first.

"But it's not the only thing you can resort to." Rhythmi's tone saddened.

"Rhythmi, I can't do this right now. I need to go patrolling." I turned on my foot and headed to my closet.

"You're just trying to avoid the subject." I heard her mutter.

"You don't understand.." I turned back.

"No. You don't understand." Rhythmi cut me off, "You were so caught up in pretending you hated Ice, that you even believed it yourself. You could have confessed to him. You could have at least done that! You wouldn't be so trapped in thinking of what could of been. All because of your damn pride."

"He hated me as much as I pretended to hate him." My voice began to break.

Unlike me, Ice didn't have to deny anything. There was nothing for him to deny. He had pure hate. I was the one who couldn't keep my feelings in check. I tried to. In the end, I resorted to lying to myself. Ice tried to use three pokemon against me. I knew he hated me. He wanted so badly to eliminate me, that when ever I knocked him down he'd get up and try even harder. That proved that he just wouldn't give up.

Then Rhythmi said something that completly reveresed everything I believed for the past six months.

"Kate, if you had to play pretend, don't you think Ice had to as well?"

I paused for a moment. Rhythmi has a point. But what difference did it make now? I was here. My feelings were now irrelevant. It was pointless.

"See? I'm right." Rhythmi stated, "but it doesn't even matter anymore. You've just been so unhappy now and days, and I know why. You did this to yourself."

I felt my stomach churn of guilt and regret. I don't wanna talk about this anymore.

"If it doesn't even matter anymore then please..I don't wanna continue this conversation." I quickly headed to my closet and pulled out a hanger that had my ranger outfit on it and went to change.

When I got out, Rhythmi was gone. I sighed as I sat down on my bed. I thought about everything she said to me.

_If you had to play pretend, don't you think Ice had to as well?_

But why would he? If what Rhytmi said was true, that means that he could have loved me too. That struck me as impossible. It just couldn't be. But it made so much sense.

I thought back at when I got back from my Blue Gem mission, it was the day I met Ice. I remember being so pissed off that it wasn't even funny.

* * *

_I paced around the room while Rhythmi was doing her work on her laptop. I ranted on and on, I didn't even know if she cared to listen. But I needed to let it out. I just had to. An angry Kate isn't usually a pleasnt one, no-fucking-duh. I just got back from my mission to find the blue gem- and let me tell you that shit was not easy. I had to put up with some Team Dim Sun bullshit. They just never know when to stop. I never understood them, but it's not like they were meant to be understood. The Team Dip Shit's were a huge joke. They were just another crime syndicate that some kid would easily take down like in every other region that's been through those scenarios before. I understood that much._

_The only thing that pissed me off even more than the Team Dim-Wits orginization itself was this bastard little asshole named Ice. What sane person names their kid Ice? I sure as hell wouldn't. Ice was just the worst of them all. I mean, at least the grunts took their loss and brought it with them. Ice just kept underestimating me after I captured his damn Frostlass. He was just going to have to learn the hard way, that you can't take a top ranger so lightly. Did I have to kick his ass again? Based off what had just happened during the mission, it seems that I would have to, oh joy. Who did he think he was anyways? The king of the castle? I thought I knew what pathetic was, and well, then I met him._

_"And he's like 'so there's no noob at the end?' I was about to punch him in the face, then he had the audacity to tell me to chill. Like hell I could!" I continued on, "after I easily captured his Forstlass, he had some nerve to act all cocky about me not being able to get the blue gem. He is such an egoistic little shit!"_

_Rhythmi looked up at me. She appeared puzzled at what I was going on about. Ugh, I knew she wasn't listening._

_"Maybe you should chill right now..." Rhythmi said._

_"Ice just pissed me off!" I threw my hands in the air as if that would get my point across, "I swear, if we meet again- no, when we do, I'm so going to so him who's the fucking noob. It sure as hell isn't me, that's for fucking sure."_

_"So that means you can't wait to see him again?" Rhythmi had the audacity to reply._

_"Only so I can beat his ass again!" I glared, "I hate that guy, Rhythmi. I hate him with a passion. He's a pompous ass. He's a joke for even being a part of the Dim Sun's. He's the very definition of pathetic. If I opened up the dictionary and looked up the word pathetic, it would have his name under it, and his damn picture next to it!"_

_I heard a snicker from across the room. Me and Rhythmi turned around, it was Keith coming from the elevator. He had a smug-ish smile plastered on his face. I was very annoyed._

_"I heard that when you like someone, you're very mean to them and stuff," Keith said._

_Rhythmi covered her mouth and laughed._

_"But damn, Kate. This is beyond mean, that must mean you **love** him." Keith teased._

_I swear to Arceus he was going to get it._

_"Keith, I will push you down the escalator. I am so fucking serious. I am not in the mood."_

_"You should listen to what Ice said earlier and **chill**." Keith said, apparently mocking Ice._

_Rhythmi and Keith hi-fived each other after they had a good laugh._

_"Okay, I am so done with you two." I turned on my heal and headed down the escalator._

_I seriously need new friends._

* * *

The memory ended with me leaving infuriated at those two. Honestly, I really did thought I hated Ice. Rhythmi was definitely right. I really was caught up in pretend, and pretending my hatred had consumed me. I only realized my feelings right before Operation Brighton, where it was too late.. Realization just made me feel even more consumed by my pretend-hatred.

I stood up from my bed and ran out the door. I ran into Rhythmi and kept running past her.

"Whoa, Kate, where are you going?" she asked.

"Patrolling the Almia castle!" I told her, "Something I should have done a long time ago..." I added softly as I quickly ran down the escalator. It would take way too long for me to wait to go all the way down for the mission I had to go on.

My heart starts racing at the thought of what I was about to do. I simply swallowed and headed out of the Ranger Union.

* * *

Staraptor dropped me off in the cold snow and flew off. I turned to face the ice castle. Of course, it looked the same. When I first came here, I had this feeling that I would unravel something. Like a mystery or a secret. I thought it was strange to build a castle made out of ice, but I also thought it'd be cool to live here. It was perfect. I still think I'd like to live here.

I entered the castle and looked at my surroundings. Nothing has changed.

My breathing was shallow and unsteady. The Almia castle was such a nostalgic place for me.

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. The cold felt so familiar. I remember having to endure it when I came here. To think that a home would be really warm and fuzzy. I suppose that it was warm when you're near a fireplace or a fire-type pokemon. Speaking of pokemon, there were sure a lot of them here. But even so, this place was still so lonely. What if someone was able to capture every single pokemon in this place? It's weird to think about it, but if you got a couple of rangers willing to do it, it could happen. This place would be empty. With no actual humans here, this place was just nothing but an abandoned home. That's exactly what it was. So pokemon just lived here.

I explored the entire castle like there was no tomorrow. Arceus, this place was huge. This home was definitely fit for a king and queen. This was a castle, after all. That's what I thought of Ice when I met him, a king of this castle. It was obvious that he was fond of ice type pokemon. He's kind of like..an Ice King. I know there was an old tale about this castle. I've always thought that Ice himself had something to do with that tale. Like his existence was a sequel to the story. I know, it's crazy. Maybe it doesn't make sense. Though it's interesting to imagine. Long ago there were three kings. The youngest king stayed in this very castle right here. If Ice was a king, then I would most certainly be his queen.

I was finally on the outside corridors of the castle. I looked down at everything below me. The snow looked beautiful from up here. It looked much better falling from here than it did from down there. I watched pokemon roam around the area freely. I ran my bare hand across the snow on the rocky ice wall. I flicked a few inches of the snow right off with my fingers. My head turned to the entrance on the other side of this corridor, one that was ahead of me. I proceeded straight to the opening. I slowly pushed the blue wooden door open, some of the snow blew inside there as I opened it. I quickly closed the door with my back leaning on it. Once I was back inside another part of this castle, I felt warmer.

As I got deeper into the castle, I began to skate around ice. It's a surprise that I've never fallen on my ass, not even during my mission here. What surprised me even more is how I still knew my way around this place, and it's been so long.

I came to a stop on the ice, landing my feet on the ground. I twisted the knob to another blue wooden door in front of me and pushed against the door.

The room I entered looked familiar. My head went from left and right to see if anything changed. The two Riolu statues still remained. in the center of a room was a tile of light which I assumed was a portal to escape here. I began to reminisce the past as I touched the statues.

* * *

_My feet were tired as hell. I slowly walked into the large room, taking small shallow breaths. The Riolu statues were the first thing I set my eyes on before I paid any attention to the blue figure in a coat. I shut the door as quietly as I could. I heard muttering from someone, my head along with my body quickly shifted to the blue-haired guy standing there._

_"I heard someone come in." he turned around._

_"Hey, he's pretty cute-" I whispered to my Pachirisu who rolled her eyes at me._

_"My guess is a little kid playing Ranger while slipping and sliding around the ice floor... Bingo, eh?" he winked at me taking a step forward._

_Uh, Yeah, totally changing my mind._

_I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, "I'm not a little kid."_

_He crept up a smirk and flipped his hair, "Heheh, sorry, sorry. Don't get angry. Chill, alright? My name's Ice!"_

_Oh, how good to know._

_"Don't," I began, "tell me to chill." I said this holding my finger up in a diva-like manner._

_"I was joking. I know you're a Top Ranger." Ice said this looking me in the eye, "Your name is, uh, Kate-noob."_

_If I wasn't a famous Top Ranger, I would have asked him how he knew my name. I was actually creeped out._

_I hissed under my breath, "It's just Kate." I said trying to resist the urge to slam his head on the damn statue._

_"Oh, so there's no 'noob' at the end of it?" He asked sarcastically._

_Silence was my reply. I wasn't going to waste my time with him._

_"I guess that's true. There wouldn't be." he said._

_I clenched my fist and held it up in front of him. If I wasn't pissed off earlier, I definitely was now._

_"Heheh, sorry, chill out." Ice raised his hands in defense._

_"Stop telling me to chill, and I just might. Since you know I'm a Top Ranger, you should also know that I'm on a mission. I'm searching for something important. Get out of my way and let me do my job." I snapped._

_Like his name, Ice remained cool and calm._

_"You're looking for something blue, aren't cha?" Ice said this with a smirk on his face. A smirk that I wanted to slap off if he continued to talk._

_"I know all about." Ice nodded, "One of my guys happened to overhear that voice mail you got in Shiver Camp. He tells me the voice mail was ridiculously loud."_

_"Okay." I said simply._

_"So, what do you say?" Ice put his hands in his pockets. His smile became genuine, "Wanna team up with me?"_

_I raised my eyebrows at him. Was this guy serious?_

_His genuine smile disappeared, replaced with that annoying smirk, "While you're twirling your Styler I'll scoot in and grab the blue thing. Don't worry, you'll get your share. I'll buy you an ice-cream soda. That's blue, just like you wanted."_

_I placed one hand on my hip, shaking my head._

_"Not interested?"_

_"Like hell I would be."_

_Disappointed, he shook his head, ""Well you're limiting my options. I suppose this is all I can do now." he pulled out a Miniremo out of his coat._

_Oh, great. He's a Dim Sun. I groaned at the thought. But he wasn't even wearing a uniform. The only thing I could assume was that he had a different status in the organization._

_From behind, I heard a chilling echo. I shivered as soon as I heard its sound. Pachirisu growled behind me. I turned around to see what was up with Pachirisu._

_A Forstlass flew in a complete circle before centering itself in the middle of the room and launching itself at me._

_I jumped back and pulled out my styler. I twirled it around and around, swiftly avoiding it's attacks. The Forstlass was no match for me. Such an easy capture._

_Ice stepped back while his precious Miniremo explodes. After the smoke cleared he had a slightly shocked expression, "Oh, yeah, okay... You're better than I expected." he admits._

_"Uh, yeah." I said with a "no-duh" expression on my face._

_Ice let out a sigh, "I'll try to be more careful the next time we meet." he brushed passed me._

_I said nothing, shrugging and wiping off the physical contact._

_Ice turns his head, "Oh, yeah, that blue thing you wanted? I'm washing my hands of it."_

_I turn around to look at him._

_"Well, that's not quite right. It doesn't appear that I even need to go through the bother of getting it." he said placing a thumb on his chin._

_I took a deep breath before saying anything._

_Ice made his way to the door, "That pokemon guarding it will probably be too much for you. It might be impossible for me but it's even more impossible for you."_

_"You can't say a thing. I just beat your ass a moment ago." I glared._

_Ice let out a laugh, "Hey, it won't cost you anything to try, but I'd say you're wasting your time."_

_"I can capture whatever is in there **blind folded**, with both hands tied behind my back." I exaggerated._

_Ice didn't say anything. He held one hand on the side of the door and gave me one last look, "Alright, Kate-noob. See you around."_

_And with that, he exits._

* * *

I wake up from my black and white memory. I took my hand off the statue and looked at the big blue door passed the statues, behind it was a chamber where the Blue Gem used to lie.

I ran my fingers across the rocky walls as I lead myself inside the chamber.

Deep inside was a familiar blue figure. I blinked so many times just to confirm that I wasn't seeing things. I opened my mouth to say something, but I stopped myself. I wasn't sure if I should say it.

But could it really be him?

"I heard someone come in." he mutters.

"_Ice._" I whispered to myself covering my mouth with my hand.

He slowly turns around, revealing his face. "It's you."

So many things ran through my head. I wanted to think of the right words to say. I felt like if I did something wrong he'd disappear and I'd never see him again. I had to make this right. I kept remembering what Rhythmi said. I didn't know if it was true. But one thing was certain, I'm going to tell him about how I feel. I may be getting myself in trouble, but now that he's here..I have to risk it.

I took two steps towards him, "Yeah, Kate-noob." I joked at him.

His expression remained fixed. I coughed, "Yes, it's me. You remember."

"Of course I do." Ice glared at me, "How could I forget..." he mutters.

"I.." I began.

"Why are you here?" Ice added a shrug along with this question.

"I could ask the same for you, Ice."

The male let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his blue here, "I'm here to..reminisce."

"Funny, I came here for the same reason." I said walking near him.

"What good memories of this place could you possibly have?" Ice asked me with a confused look.

I gave him a smile, "When I met you."

"Funny," Ice snickered, "that's actually one of my worst memories here."

I felt myself start to heat up. My heart crashed and fell as soon as he said that. I've never been so embarrassed. Screw confessing my love, he already rejected me. All I wanna do is leave but now that Ice is here, my feet's glued to the ground, and my heart's glued to his presence.

"I..why?" I tried to stay calm.

Suddenly he just snapped.

"You..you ruined _everything_." Ice began, I could hear a dark hiss under his breath, "All I ever wanted was to make things easier for the both of us- no, for everyone. Team Dim Sun- we weren't villains! But you were just so damn _blind_. You never listened to anything I said. I told you that I was a pacifist. You were just so selfish!" Ice yelled.

"Ice, please I-"

"You and every single Ranger against us thought there was only one way of living. You people are just so closed minded, so stubborn, so arrogant, I've always _hated_ you for that."

I gasped at those last words. Ice practically ripped my heart out and threw it off a cliff. Looks like Rhythmi was wrong after all. I had gotten my hopes up and let my guard down.

"Ice, you saw the darkness. Team Dim Sun was wrong-"

Ice grabbed me by my collar and pushed me up against the wall. I've never felt so weak before. Not like this. I was always the one who could do what Ice was doing to me to other people.

"That darkness was all YOUR fault!" Ice cut me off, "you should have never interfered. Blake wanted to do everything he could to stop you. He went too far because of you. You never, ever should have came. You could have seen what us Dim Sun's were going to do for you people. But you never gave us a chance. Heh, hero of Almia, huh? You are so far from it." he said this landing me on the floor.

"You- you're heart..." My voice began to break, "Your heart is taken over by darkness, and it's full of ice. This isn't you at all."

"That is the only thing you're right about. Because of you this heart full of cold ice can never be melted."

"It's not too late-" I tried to protest.

"You crushed my dreams." Ice stated.

"They were Blake's dreams, Ice!" I screamed, "you don't understand how bad of a person he used to be-"

"Here we go again," Ice groaned, "You _always_ see things in _one way_. 'Team Dim Sun are very bad people.', 'Ice is a heartless bastard', 'Blake Hall was consumed by darkness, 'Team Dim Sun needs to be put away for life.' that's what everyone says. You know why? It's all because of Rangers like you. You Rangers always felt like you had to stop us when you didn't even know our true intentions!"

"Ice, why can't you just stop and listen to me?" I begged.

"Because you would never listened to _me._"

"I never tried to stop you, Ice. Not once. I only wanted to help you." I said softly.

"What makes you think that I would ever believe you?" Ice came close to my face with a glare.

"Because.."

_Because, I love you._

"What I thought." Ice stated as he takes a few steps back from me.

"I would never lie to you. I've always been honest. Rangers are supposed to be honest, even with our enemies." I explained.

"And that..." Ice shook his head adding dark laughter to what he was about to say, "that, is what makes all this so. damn. funny." he added a snicker, "you've always claimed that we were enemies. Why don't you just give it up? I knew about your feelings."

"_What._" I looked at Ice in shock.

"And you could have _had_ me, Katie."

My heart stops as soon as he says that. I opened my mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Ice.

"But now you can't." he adds softly.

"Ice.." I muttered in a soft, broken tone.

He turns his back on me and goes deeper into the chamber. He stops at the center of it and turns back around. The bluenette pulls something out of his coat- a familiar object that looked like a lap-top. The lap-top grew legs and stood on the ground. I realized exactly what it was. Ice still used Miniremo's. Obviously he never really did let go of all this.

"You think you can melt my heart, Katie?" Ice states in a tone made of steel, "Then break the ice!"

He summons Regice, Suicune, and Articuno.

I was cornered and surrounded. Talking things out were no longer an option. My eyes widened at the horror. I had no idea he was capable of this much power. If Ice had the power to do all this...why couldn't he do it back then? But I had no time to think about that. Three legendary pokemon were standing right in front of me. This was completely different from having to capture the Sinis Trio's pokemon. These were legendary. I've captured legendaries before, when it was a single pokemon all by itself. I've never been in a position where I had to catch three at a time. But now I am. I've always beaten Ice in the past. But judging by the looks of these pokemon...Ice was going to have his very first win against me.

I nervously took out my styler. My hand shook when I made contact with it. _Get it together, Kate. Get it together._ I thought to myself. I had no other choice. Well, Ice wasn't giving me any other ones, obviously. I just couldn't stop shaking. My legs began to tremble. The bones inside my body wanted to surrender to defeat. But I was better than that. I don't know what would happen after this- what if I captured them all? Would he become even more infuriated? Or would he calm down? But..what if I lost? Well, I remembered him being pretty arrogant. So he might just rub it in my face, which would be pretty damn characteristic of him to do. There is just no way that I would be able to come out of this unscathed.

Without ado, I began to circle my styler around.

* * *

My styler was almost out of energy by the time I barely caught Regice and Suicune. Articuno sure looked like it was having fun making me suffer, it was pretty damn lucky that it could fly. Articuno made it difficult for me to capture the other two. Freaking ice beams. Pachisiru came in handy, though. I had Articuno in place and ready to be captured.

As soon as I captured the legendary ice-bird, all three pokemon ran off escaping out of the exit behind me.

To my surprise, Ice's Miniremo didn't explode. I became very concerned. I knew what that meant. That meant he could summon more pokemon-

"I-Ice, are you done here?" I asked nervously.

Ice gave my a cold glare before responding.

"We still need to talk-"

"I am anything but done. In fact, I'm only getting started." Ice clicked a button on his Miniremo.

I heard a slam from behind me and turned around. The door out of this chamber closed up. The chamber began to shake. Already, rocks were tumbling down. I felt like I was going to fall on my ass. I watched the walls begin to crumble.

"Ice!" I shouted, "What the hell are you doing!"

No response. Silence was his reply.

"You're going to die here." Ice stated coldly.

I ran to the blue wooden door. I tried to push and pull the door open but it wouldn't budge. I shot a glare at Ice and ran towards him.

"Why are you doing this?" I looked him in the eyes as tears forms in the corners of my own.

"_This_ is my revenge, Katie. And there's no way out."

I heard something crumbling and looked at the roof. As soon as a hard rock hit Ice's head, he was knocked out cold.

"No, no, no, no." I bent down and sat on my knees, "Ice, come back to me, please." I shook him as hard as I could.

The castle kept shaking, and the rocks kept falling. I was going to die with him. Was this a twisted way of me getting to be with him in the end? I would have had it any other way.

"Ice, please." I called to him as I laid my head on his chest. His heart was still beating. He was still living. I started to cry on him, bursting into tears.

It would only be a matter of time before I would go out just like Ice. I didn't want to believe it, yet I was facing it. I finally found him, but I had so many unanswered questions. My mind drifted to focusing on staying with Ice. Looks like this is the end. I don't even know what kind of messed up ending this is. Was this what Ice anticipated all along? I could barely bear the fact that Ice had purposely locked us up in here to die. It seemed so impossible to be optimistic in this situation. But we had so little time, and I'm forced to spend that time watching the ending of our very own lives. So in the end, I never got to light the darkness that lies within him, I never got to melt his heart, and I would never get to have the chance to break the ice.

Looks like I was right. He was the Ice King of the Almia Castle after all.

Suddenly, I was blinded by a huge blue light that shined inside the entire room.

Lucario appeared before me.

I held Ice close to me and felt a tear roll down my cheek, "Lucario." I whispered.

The last thing I could remember were several beams of light blasting through out the chamber.

* * *

I felt a heart beat against my ears. My vision held a familiar shade of blue. I began to doze off. Everything goes black.

* * *

_Keith and I were roaming the hallways of Altru. Right now, all I had on my mind was to rescue Issac as soon as I can.__  
_

_"Why can't you just admit it already?" Keith suddenly asked._

_I knew exactly what he wanted me to admit. Right now was not the time. This mission had to be taken seriously, and I wasn't about to take a pit stop to discuss this with Keith. Issac was more important to me at the moment, and Keith understood that very well. But it's been like this for awhile now. If this was Keith's attempt to get me to crack, then maybe I will just so he could finally shut up and leave me the hell alone about it. _

_I let out a sigh, "If this is about Ice, we're not talking about it."_

_"You'd be making things so much easier for yourself if you'd just be honest." Keith says._

_I clenched my teeth and kept moving forward._

_I heard a groan from Keith, "C'mon, if we're best friends you'd tell me the truth. You can tell me anything." Keith pleads._

_"And we are." I simply said, "but you should respect the fact that I can't talk about this right now."_

_"You can't or you won't?" Keith's tone became serious._

_I turned around to face him, "Why does this matter to you so much?"_

_"Because me, Rhythmi, the both of us; we care about you. You've been out of sorts ever since you met him. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what this is, Kate. And every single day you've been lying to yourself. You can name a thousand reasons why you 'hate' Ice so much, but deep inside your heart you know that we've always been right. And that's okay, because you can be truthful with us."_

_I clenched my fist and swung it to my left, "Okay, fine. So what if I do love him? That doesn't effect my job. I know who he is. I keep my feelings in check."_

_"There's nothing wrong-"_

_"Yes there is!" I shouted, "I have a commitment to the Union, to you, to Rhythmi. Everyone who works there. If I hadn't thought of you guys first, then I wouldn't be in Operation Brighton in the first place. You have no idea how hard it is to hold back. At first, I really did thought I hated him. But I never did. Now all I want to do is put an end to the Dim Sun's, so that I'll never see him again. It became so much easier for me to hide it. I can't control my feelings but I know for sure that I can control what I do about them. So what if I have to deny it? I do it for all of us. I'd be in so much trouble if anyone important from the Union found out. So tell me that there is nothing wrong with me being in love with the enemy!"_

_Keith walked closer to me and touched my shoulder, "Kate.."_

_"And the worst part," I began, "is that when this is all over Ice will become one of the most wanted criminals in Almia, along with every Dim Sun who played a part in this dark hell! So it doesn't even matter how I feel." I said this placing a hand on my heart._

_Keith's eyes were downcast with a grave look. _

_"You got what you wanted. I admitted it. You can tell Rhythmi after this missions over. You both were right. I hope you're fucking happy, because I am so far from it."_

_I turn my back on him and began to walk away._

* * *

My eyes started to flutter. All I can see is white. My vision is a complete blur. I could feel the cold overtake my body. My skin shivers and tries to shake off the bitter cold. My eyelids weaken and start to close up.

* * *

_I felt like I was about to have a mental break down. Lavana just pushed my best friend off the tower and all I wanted to do was beat her ass off this damn building as well. I guess she was still butt hurt from when Keith called her a hag. Like damn, I wondered what kind of hell she would have raised if he had called her a crazy bitch. Which is exactly what she is._

_My mind was still processing that me and Issac had to go on without Keith. This was all her damn fault. And Lavana just got away with it! _

_I stood up and shrugged off all my frustrations. I entered the blue automatic door with Issac. I already defeated her by capturing her Magmortar, but I still wanted to take her ass down. _

_"...All right! Let's go." Isaac said._

_I added a sigh along with my nod and busted into Ice's layer. _

_As soon as I entered I saw a Gallade standing behind Ice. I had my styler ready for him, knowing that he should be my toughest opponent. I knew I'd still beat him, though. Always did, always will._

_Ice turned his face to us, and greeted us with a smile, "Hey there, Top Ranger! And a big hello to our computer teacher and boy genius. Welcome to Altru Tower."_

_He took a step towards us, "Very soon now the data will change. Yes, a new era is dawning on Almia." he set his eyes on me and held a hand out, "Join me in counting down the moments, won't you?"_

_I raised an eyebrow and watched him draw his hand back in his pocket._

_He turns his back on us, facing the blue orb, "As you know, I've_ _always been a pacifist. It's just the way I am. So don't take it too personally. I'm doing this for peace."_

_Peace my ass, I thought._

_Ice flips his hair and shot a glare at me, "Gallade, get rid of these intruders."_

_The Gallade jumps in between us and attacks me. _

_And just like I thought, I captured the challenge Ice had for me yet again._

_Ice's expression held shock and anger, "...What the... Brought down by a bunch of kids..." "Sorry, Ice. I'd like a look at your lame booby-trap now." Isaac says as he makes his way to the blue orb._

_Finally._

_I stared at Ice as Issac starts to break the code, yet again._

_"...Huh?" Issac tilts his head re-typing the code, "This is weird. This is the same amateur program I taught them..." Issac murmurs._

_ "Hahaha," Ice laughs, "Looks like I get the last laugh anyway." he said in a cold tone._

_"What..." I shook my head confused._

_"Isaac," Ice took a step towards him, "I wasn't satisfied what that program you taught us. So I studied it like there was no tomorrow. I researched and practiced and tested until I came up with the ultimate program. Something even you could never be able to figure out—in time at least."_

_"You bastard." I mutter to myself._

_Ice turns to me. Oh, he heard what I said. Sorry, not sorry._

_"What's the password?" Isaac asks like he was actually going to get a answer.  
_

_Ice snickered as his reply._

_I clenched my fist, "Tell us the god damn password or I swear-"_

_"Don't worry, Kate." Issac assured me, "I'll figure it out."_

_"No you won't." Ice muttered._

_I buried my face in my hands and let out a loud, deep sigh, "Ice.."_

_"What?" Ice snapped his head at me._

_"Look, there's something-" _

_A door opened from behind me. Lavana bumped into me and scoffed turning her nose up. Okay, I bet my money she did that on purpose. Heath and Lavana all went to Ice's side._

_"We failing at orders boss give us." Heath admitted shyly._

_"I'm back from fixing my make up." Lavanna said this flipping her hair._

_"Drag Queen." I coughed out loudly._

_Lavana quickly turned her attention to me and shot a glare._

_"Your boob-trap programs were junk." Ice said flatly, "They had 'amateur' written all over it. Thanks to your ineptitude these pests crawled right back up here." he said this looking at me like I had just ruined his plans. Okay, well, I did. But that doesn't make me a pest-_

_Ice shook his head, ""Bah. Moaning about it won't fix up your mistakes. Lend me your pokemon. Both of you, we'll take out this Ranger once and for all—all of us."_

_"Oh, very good!" Heath clapped with joy, "That Ranger stand no chance now, good job, Leader!"_

_I readied my styler as Magmortar, Rhypherior and Gallade attacked._

_"Wow, Ice." I said, "You have quite a losing streak here." I twirled my styler around Magmortar and captured it._

_Lavana let out a gasp. Looks like she was going to have to fix her make-up again._

_"It's really cute how you think you can take me out like this." I circled around __Rhypherior, successfully capturing that as well._

___Heath grumbled crossing his arms._

___"I wonder if you'll be this persistent right after we Rangers stop you Dim Sun's and put you guys to an end." I said confidently as I captured Gallade. _

___Ice took a step back as the three pokemon escaped out of the room._

___ "Our Boss! He is on top! Of here! Going to him, I must." Heath ran out._

___"I'm too ashamed to show my face to the boss now!" Lavanna yelled in despair and followed Heath._

___"Y-You pair of spineless losers." Ice grumbles angrily, "T-That battle was only for show. Something to waste away some time. Unless you crack my program there's no where you can..." he turns to Issac who had a grin on his face._

___Yes!_

___"Wha...Hey...Issac...Why did you just crack a grin? It can't be!" Ice stepped back even more, "You cracked my program? That's unbelievably fast." Ice buries his forehead in his left hand, "Fine!" he snaps, "Just take it! Take the Yellow Gem and get out of here!" Ice threw the yellow gem at me and rushes his way out._

___"Ice, no wait!" I ran after him. The door shuts, and I just gave up._

___Issac walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder, "Sorry it took so long. It's ready when you are."_

___"I'm ready." I muttered. I whisper a command to the Vaporeon that stood next to me. She shatters the orb and runs off._

___Issac gives me a smile, "For Brighton."_

___"For Brighton." I said halfheartedly with a faint smile._

* * *

I sat upright in my bed. I took a look at my surroundings. I was in my room. My eyes gazed down to my nightstand, an Almia Times article sitting on it. Was this all just a dream? I looked out the window. It's night time.

I threw the covers of my bed to the side, got out of my room and ran up the escalator.

"Rhythmi!" I called out for her.

"Kate, you've finally woken up!" Rhythmi runs hurriedly to me.

"I..what happened?"

"You and Ice were found knocked out cold on the snow in front of the Almia Castle." Rhythmi explains, "you weren't answering me when I tried to call your styler, that's when we knew something was wrong."

"Where's Ice?" I asked, worried.

"Kellyn's room." Rhythmi answers.

I quickly ran down the escalator and dashed to Kellyn's room. I opened the door and ran inside.

"Where's Ice?" I demanded an answer. I stopped my attention at a blur of blue and ran towards it.

"Ice.." I stopped at his bed. I turned my head to Wendy, who sat on a chair watching him, "Is he okay?"

Wendy had a faint smile on her face when she looked up at me, "He just needs rest. He had a concussion, We've been treating him, so he's going to be fine."

"And then...?" I expected more.

Wendy shrugged confusedly, "What?"

To be honest, I didn't even know what answers I was looking for.

"Are you going to arrest him?" I asked.

Wendy shook her head, "As far as Almia's concerned, Ice should be off the hook. We're at peace now. I mean, if the Sinis Trio hadn't escaped during the whole thing then we would have but..it's different now. Why do you care, anyways? Didn't you despise this guy?"

I shook my head as I ran my fingers through Ice's hair, I let out a sigh, "Let me know when he wakes up." I turn on my heel

"Where are you going?"

"Getting a little present for Ice. If he wakes up before I get back, make sure he stays put." I headed out the door as I said this.

* * *

Staraptor dropped me off on the Altru Tower. I swiftly landed on my feet. The Luminous Crystal stood before me. It's shine remained untainted, and bright. It lighted up the entire roof of this tower. I was in complete awe just seeing it. The Crystal sparkled magnificently, throughout the entire region. No wonder this was called the tower of peace. I felt so content staring up at it.

I ran towards the crystal and climbed the walls the led to it. I took out a hammer and a pickaxe.

* * *

Mrs. Winter was nice enough to make a pendant out of the crystal. I put it in my pocket before taking off to the Ranger Union. I received a call from Wendy, Ice was awake.

* * *

Ice was sitting upright in his bed with a content look on his face. He appeared to be in deep thought. I could never imagine what he would be thinking. I wish I knew why he believed in Team Dim Sun's values. But maybe Ice really was a pacifist. Everything he said, the way he looked at me at the castle..he really did think he was doing good. But what difference did it make if I understood then, what I understood now? Before I came to the ice castle, I still thought that Ice was this villain that was a part of a larger crime committed by the Dim Sun's. I always dismissed him when he mentioned, "peace' and "Dim Sun" in the same sentence. So if I had listened to him, it still wouldn't have changed what I was supposed to do. It never mattered either way. Because I had a commitment to the Ranger Union. And because I understood what it meant to be a Top Ranger, a part of a group of other rangers working together, I had to keep my priorities straight. The only priorities I had for Ice was to beat him, stop him, get him out of the way. Nothing more, and nothing less. Good intentions was what Ice had, most definitely. But it was clear to me, and to everyone who knew him, that he never had a good understanding.

I walked to his bed and stared at him. My hands in my pocket, and my eyes glued on Ice. He showed no signs of being infuriated with me. In fact, he looked surprised. His eye brows raised up, he blinked at me. He had a lost expression painted on his face. Like a child who didn't know where he was, or if he was supposed to be here. Surely he still remembered what happened before, right? But his reaction when he saw me said differently. I caught a faint smile on his lips, or maybe it was just me. Ice looked a bit different without his jacket, he looked more vulnerable. Well, he did get hit by a rock which was his fault. Speaking of which, I really wondered what would have happened if I had lost. That's all I could think about the whole time when Ice cornered me. I don't think I'll ask Ice how he got a hold of three legendary pokemon from different legendary trios. They were specifically ice-types, or ones that could use an ice-type move. So I suppose I'll just assume that he had a special connection with a certain type of pokemon. And if Ice decided that he was going to treat me nicely and be more reasonable, then I am going to start where I left off. My feelings for him. How did Ice know?

"Hey." I started.

And that faint smile widened, it wasn't just me.

"Kate..I have some explaining to do.." Ice said.

I placed a hand on his cheek rubbing my thumb on it, "I know, I know. But first..."

I pulled out a crystal pendant. Ice looked at it curiously and then shifted his eyes to me.

"Katie.." Ice's tone was soft and sincere.

I wrapped the pendant over his neck and pulled the crystal out in the open, "This will prevent your heart from being tainted from darkness." I said in a low voice.

Ice pulled me into a tight hug, "I am so, so sorry." and I knew he meant it.

I pulled away from Ice, giving him a serious look. "Ice, I have so many questions.."

"And you'll get answers." Ice tells me.

"My feelings. How did you know?" I asked.

The bluenette lets out a sigh running his fingers through his hair, "Lavana." he stated.

I blinked at him. How did she-

"We had cameras installed on the floor you and Keith were on. You admitted it to Keith and Lavana showed me the recording."

"Oh." I simply said.

"I was completely shattered when you said that. But I understood. Lavana knew about how I felt too..she told me that us...that we couldn't work. That staying with Team Dim Sun after I met you, made a future- or even a chance with you impossible. So the easiest thing for me to do was to hate you."

"That's exactly how I felt.." I said softly.

Ice placed a hand on my cheek, and ran it down near my neck.

"After you saved Almia, I was infuriated. I didn't understand, it seemed like all you did was get in the way. All I ever wanted was peace for us. But my actions must have said otherwise." Ice said, "I went back to the ice castle, bringing a Miniremo with me in case if I met you again. I still couldn't get over the fact that Team Dim Sun failed. I tweaked it so that it wouldn't blow up if the pokemon I summoned got captured. I visited the castle because..it was the first place I met you."

A small gasp escaped my lips. I looked at him in shock.

"When you beat me again at the castle..I just realized so much." Ice began, "Right then, I knew that it wasn't you who was blind. It was _me. _When you beat me, the pokemon ran off. They looked so miserable under my control. That showed me that I was going about everything the wrong way. I wanted peace, but it wasn't fair to control pokemon like that."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Ice wasn't finished.

"But I didn't want to go down. Not alone, at least. So I attempted to take you down with me." Ice mutters.

"It's okay.." I whisper, "we're here now." I brushed away any strands of hair that got in his eyes.

I leaned in and brushed my lips on his. We shared a simple, gentle kiss. I ran my fingers through his hair, then placed my hands on his shoulder.

We pull away for a moment, our noses and foreheads touching each other.

The crystal pendant sparkled a small shining light. The two of us giggle.

"You did it, Kate," Ice said, "you broke the ice."

I smiled at him and pressed my lips against his.

* * *

Ice and I had our arms intertwined after I flew down on my Staraptor. He was gentlemen enough to help me get down from it by taking my hand and walking me down. I stared up at his face with a smile. We've been together for about four years now. I was twenty, and Ice was twenty-two. He's changed so much ever since he decided to stay at the Ranger Union. (Well, he still calls me 'Kate-noob much more than often.) He's been helping Professor Hastings with his pokemon research, and is considering becoming a researcher. I've become so proud of him over the years. He's changed his views on the Dim Sun's, but his beautiful, arrogant, personality remains.

Ice still kept the crystal pendant I gave him all those years ago. I saw the way Blake Hall was affected by it once the Luminous Crystal shined away its shadows. So I was sure that it would have the same effect on Ice, so that he would never be drawn into the darkness ever again. The way the Shadow Crystal transformed into something beautiful, was the same affect the pendant- or myself had on Ice. I saved him. All along, Ice had been a good person, he had good intentions, with a heart consumed by darkness and ice. It had to take bigger than words to reach the depth of his soul.

We had dinner inside the ice castle. It was just the two of us sitting alone with a table that stretched from the entrance of the castle, and straight to the next room. The evening consisted of romantic perfection. For one thing, I had no idea that Ice arranged the dinner with gourmet foods and champagne. Which was rather surprising considering how there wasn't really any food supply inside the castle. He set up candles and roses which sat in the middle of the table. The castle lights were out and the place was dark.

On this occasion I wore a strapless, red, satin wrap-dress. My hair was tied high up in a neat bun, with strands of my hair flowing down in curls. (thanks to Operator Rhythmi and Linda; I can't fix my hair to save my life.) I even took a shower this time. (Which was highly suggested by Rhythmi, knowing me.) flowing down from my ears were diamond drop earrings that finally had a purpose for once- just for this evening. A red diamond necklace which had a strong resemblance to the red gem was wrapped around my neck.

My boyfriend didn't look too bad himself. Ice always cleaned up well. He looked very dashing in his black tuxedo, he wore it well. I could tell that he kept the crystal pendant hidden inside his black jacket, because I could see the silver chain wrapped around his neck. For every single day that we've been together, Ice always wore that pendant. I've never seen a day where my gift to him wasn't hanging from his neck. The crystal always showed hanging down from the chain when he wore his usual attire. Which was rather sweet of him.

I smiled at him across the table as I took a sip of my champagne. My heart melts when he smiles back. After all these years, we still have some effects on each other. What we have between us never died down, but it is only four short years after all, and we were still pretty young. But the history we have is what makes me so sure that there's just no other. The more I thought about it, the more realistic it seemed that all along, it's been Ice. I am strongly determined to have Ice in my life for as long as possible. And maybe, just maybe...as long as we lived.

He places both hands on my own and looks me in the eye, "Katie."

His smiled remained as he stares at me.

"I don't know what I could ever do without you. You've made me into the man I've always wanted to be." he says, giving a small squeeze to my hand, "Thank you for everything. You helped me see the light of things, no one else has. That is why I know I can't picture my life without you." he stands up, still holding my hand. I was slightly confused, but I stood up with him. He pulls me to the side of the table.

Ice slowly pulls his hands from me and gets down on one knee. He pulls out a small box from his tux pocket, holding it up to me. My eyes widened as the box pops open, revealing a beautiful, blue ring.

"You are the light to my darkest days, the fire to my ice, the queen of my ice castle heart, and the woman I know I want, the woman I _need_ to be with for the rest of my life."

A small gasp squirms out of my lips as Ice paused.

"Will you marry me?" his tone was serious, and his voice was silvery.

I nodded quickly and answered, "Yes." whispering it soft spoken.

He slips the ring on my finger. I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Ice."

We engaged in a passionate kiss.

* * *

The wedding was the most nerve-wrecking day of my life. But at the same time, it was also one of my best memories. Me and Ice got our vows out of the way and became husband and wife. I met so many people at the reception. Half of the Almia region came, and a ton of people from Fiore flew over here just to see me get married. I was surprised at the change Lavana went through on her journey with Dawn, whom I also met. I received a super cool jacket for my Pachirisu from her as a gift. And let me tell you, Dawn has some amazing style.

Lavana went from this snarky little brat, to a woman of respect and kindness. She told me that Ice getting married to me was no surprise- as she knew about his feelings for me. Though, she didn't take him as someone who was a fan of commitment, and said that I had changed him. Which was only half true. To this day, his favorite nickname for me was still Kate-noob. He still teased me a lot, and I still had the urge to slap him. But only out of love, of course. And just between me and myself, I actually love it when Ice calls me Kate-noob, it gives me an excuse to pretend to be mad at him.

The Go Rock Quads played at our reception. Which was requested by Ice himself. Who knew that was his favorite band? Billy gave us a 'rockin' shout out and wished the best for us. And when our wedding almost came to an end, the Go Rock Quads turned out to be the loudest crowd of people cheering for us as we kissed (especially Clyde, he did have his bongo drums to go crazy on, after all.) Heck, they were practically screaming. But Ice and I didn't really mind one bit. It was the best day of our lives, that is, if you don't count the day we met.

On that night, I told Rhythmi and Keith that they were right. They were the only two people who saw through me, which isn't much of a surprise. I mean, they're my best friends after all. Keith was surprised to see me actually go through dating and marrying him, considering everything I've said in the past. When I look back on it now, I'm glad I did the things I did, because I loved the way things turned out to be. Because my friends were right, all along. Admitting it to myself may have been hard, but it has the best thing I've ever done.

After the wedding, everything at the Union went back to normal. It was business as usual again. All the Rangers had to go back to daily patrolling. But I've only been able to sleep there for one more night.

"You ready, Kate?"

I turn to my newly wedded husband with a smile, "Of course."

Ice and I were moving into our new home, which is the Almia Castle. All of our things had already been placed inside. And man, that took awhile to get them over there. Do you know how hard it is to get on a Staraptor with a box full of your things without having the fear that you might drop it? Even if the box was safely strapped on Staraptor's back, I still had that fear that it would just fall into the clouds and down to the never-ending sea, it was good that I didn't have much stuff. Same for Ice. Luckily, I never had to face that, and flying distance from the Union to the castle wasn't all that far.

Since I was a Ranger, I would still be able to visit the Union everyday. Ice had his research to do as well. It was perfectly convenient since we worked at the same place. I may have only been married for under a day, but the simple fact that I was just made me realize that I just couldn't live at my workplace anymore. I was fine with it at the age of sixteen, because there was just so much going on with team Dim Sun at the time. Four years passed by, no danger, no nothing.

Of course, you never know what happens. But I'm an adult now. Living at the Union was what I had relied on to bring me safety. And honestly, it really did feel safe to live with your friends and co-workers. But I had to face the reality that I wasn't sixteen anymore. I didn't just graduate from Ranger School, and come out not knowing the ropes of life. All my life, I was dependent on the people around me. I lived at school, I lived at the Vien town Ranger Base, and I lived at the Union. My teachers provided for me, my leaders provided for me, my _friends_ provided for me, but did I provide for myself?

It's good to have someone you can count on, but being dependent on them was a whole different story.

And I have Ice to thank for helping me become independent.

Today marks my new journey with Ice. I would have new missions, and new quests calling for me.

I got to say my goodbyes to everyone. Rhythmi was the most happiest for me, and the most surprised at my decision out of everyone else. I assured her that I was still a Ranger, and my commitment to her, Keith, and everyone else there would never change. I would visit everyday, and if it was appropriate, she could even call me while I was asleep if it was an emergency. She asked me who she'd gossip and share secrets with at night while everyone was asleep, which I swiftly replied Keith and Kellyn, she was not amused. Ha, I'd miss that, though.

I hopped on the Staraptor with Ice, and held on to him. We slowly rose off the ground. My friends, and the Ranger Union got tinier as I flew higher. I waved my last goodbye at them as we took off in the air. Me and Ice would start a new adventure together, and I had just started my journey today. We blew through the wind as we flew past the clouds. The clouds started to clear up, revealing our new home. The Staraptor began to slow down as the castle got bigger and bigger.

Finally, Staraptor landed right in front of the ice castle doors. Ice hopped off first and like the gentlemen he was, he took my hand and carried me off of it. He set me down on the snow gently and beams at me. I smile back at him, and then I run to the torches that were on the castle doors, grabbing the one that had no fire lit, and got a Vulpix to burst some flame on it. Once that was done, I hung it back in it's rightful spot, and watched the castle doors open slowly while I returned to Ice.

Ice bows at me gracefully, "After you, mi-lady."

I giggled at him and pull Ice by his arm, and together, we entered the castle.

The crystal pendant around Ice's neck sparkled a small, but noticeable light. The same light that sparkled the first time he wore it when I gave it to him. The same crystal that I personally got from the Luminous Crystal just for him four years ago, because I wanted to make sure that he would never again become trapped in the shadows. Like his heart once was. And every time the pendant sparkles, that tells me that his heart was still pure, not tainted, and would always be in the right place.

Ice.

The Ice King of the Almia Castle.

Today, I had just become his Ice Queen.

When he needed fire and light as his guidance, I happily provided it for him. That's how it's been then, and always will be.

All this time, Ice had been the one. I illuminated the light in the shadows of his heart, as he illuminated the light in my life. And all along, we were actually meant to be. Before any of this, he was a mislead person who's only intention was to carry out a goal for peace. In the process, like Blake Hall, was consumed by the darkness and his heart was frozen, little hope was left. He became the king of ice. All he needed was something, no _someone_ who cared enough to shine the darkness away with light, melt his cold heart, and break the ice.

That someone was me, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed this long-ass one-shot. But I am honestly so happy I'm done with it because writing this was also a huge pain in the ass at a lot of points. It was my every intention to make this exactly 12,000 words, no shorter or longer, minus the Author's notes of course. I really enjoyed writing this, a lot. The one-shot is actually based off a song called "Ice Queen" by Trish, look it up if you want. I don't think this is perfect, in fact, it's far from it. I might even get super bad criticism, like how Ice seems like a damsel that needed saving and Kate has to rescue him- okay, damsels in distress are boring, which is why I tried to write him so that he helps Kate with becoming independent by their moving out. Anyways, people need to write more Kate x Ice around here, it's driving me crazy that people don't. Aha, also, I thought the title and theme was genius with Ice because- the Almia Castle. Ice has a ice-type fetish, you meet him in a castle. Boom, Ice King. I kind of really love this one-shot because of how Kate just deals with everything and her reactions to Ice. I've always thought of Kate as a kick-ass person, despite that she's a silent protagonist in Shadows of Almia. I kind of think this fic is really creative. With Kate giving Ice a Luminous Crystal pendant and all- kinda romantic. Then, there's Lucario magically appearing to save Ice and Kate from the castle collapsing, which by the way if it confused you that the castle survived, Lucario saved that too, okay? I guess the only thing I dislike about this fic is how they apparently "love" each other. Like, Ice doesn't say his reasons for why he loves Kate, and Kate never says her reasons for why she loves Ice. But I felt like this fic is okay with the way it is, I hope you guys like it, too. Oh, and I call bullshit if someone says Ice is OOC, because I will most definitely show you an OOC Ice- Okay, readers! Make sure to review your opinions and/or critiques on this. That would be greatly appreciated.


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